Former Conservative cabinet minister and current Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership hopeful Jason Kenney is about as right and politically partisan as one gets in this country. But a tweet he offered Monday should alert media, politicians and everyone else to reflect on why we need to be ever-vigilant against all wingnuts — right or left — who attack democracy.

“David Suzuki et al called for Stephen Harper to be imprisoned b/c of his policies,” Kenney wrote in his tweet. “Such stupidity is no difft when directed at the Premier (Alberta’s Rachel Notley).” The tweet was directed towards the stupidity of those at the Rebel Media-organized rally at the Alberta legislature last Saturday who engaged in the Donald Trump-mimicking chant: “Lock her (Notley) up.”

Yes, some among the simple-minded will be taking a sombre moment today to reflect on the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, oblivious to the irony that just days ago they advocated democratically elected politicians be imprisoned for no other reason than advancing public policies.

Yes, the rally sponsor Rebel Media and its front man Ezra Levant are desperately trying to make Canada’s far-right fringe the norm and using their pretend news to do so. Can you imagine Ezra Levant’s outrage if CBC, CTV or Global pulled the same partisan stunt?

But Canada’s political system isn’t going to be threatened by lightweight Levant’s attempts to replicate alternative-right Steve Bannon’s coup d’etat.

If anything, the reaction to Saturday’s childish nonsense in Alberta affords us proof that Canada remains different from the U.S.

The chant broke out as grinning federal Conservative leadership hopeful Chris Alexander — former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper’s immigration and citizenship minister and a former diplomat, no less — was speaking. That Alexander had neither the courage nor decency to point out the ridiculousness in the moment says much about his leadership qualities.

But even Alexander felt obligated to condemn the chant the next day. Other conservative politicians did much better.

Interim federal Conservative leader Rona Ambrose — who has been brilliant in her role — called the chanting “unoriginal” and “people acting like idiots.”

Alberta Wildrose Opposition leader Brian Jean, who spoke earlier at the rally, said Monday, “I don’t think there’s any place for it in Albertan politics” and added, “I wish people who have a desire to have those chants or have that signage would just stay at home and keep their opinions to themselves.” (One such opinion at the rally stated on a sign: “Carbon Tax = Sodomy.” Sigh) And then there was Kenney’s tweet — somewhat of a political pushback, but one that did clearly condemn the stupidity on display Saturday.

More importantly, Kenney’s tweet made the serious point that all politicians, regardless of stripe, must be ever-vigilant against all forms of radical “stupidity.”

The Suzuki reference was regarding a comment last February in which the environmentalist said: “I really believe that people like the former prime minister of Canada should be thrown in jail for wilful blindness.”

Partisan? Probably. But did one Green Party or NDP politician condemn the remark? Was Suzuki challenged enough in the media — particularly by the CBC where he maintains exalted status?

And surely Suzuki is more accountable for his words than those whose courage is fed by the anonymity of a mob. Whether it be the much-feted Suzuki or the anti-carbon-tax rabble, nobody should get away with the equivalent behaviour of bratty teenagers spraying graffiti at night in the hopes of getting a rise out of the grown-ups the next day.

If Saturday’s rally tells us the alt-right isn’t overrunning Canada, it nevertheless reminds us the fringe right does have more access to the political mainstream than the fringe left.

Politicians need to be both wary and accountable.

Consider Saskatchewan’s Premier Brad Wall, who is organizing his own anti-carbon-tax parade.

Wall has a justifiable position of the carbon tax, but it won’t help Saskatchewan’s cause if his arguments are swallowed up by right-wing loons.

Left or right, politicians must recognize the radical fringe serves no one’s purpose but their own.

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